


The Bribe

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Drama/Romance, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 05:36:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/794485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim has to bribe an email friend with a hot story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bribe

This is the first piece I've posted to the list and there's a confession that goes with it. I'm hopelessly addicted to "Goodnight Love" and seraid was hinting around that she might be tiring of writing it. I asked if I could bribe her, she said she only accepted stories as bribes. Sooooooo... 

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, the concept or the rights. You'd have to talk with UPN and PetFly to learn who does exactly. This is purely an act of love and desperation for another chapter of a story I'm addicted to. 

Rating: pg 13 - sorry everyone  
Archive: yes with my email addy only 

## The Bribe

by deb  


Jim closed the door of the loft, leaning back against it briefly. Across the room his partner sat on the floor, braced against the couch, surrounded by papers, journals, reference books and the ever-present laptop. 

Blair glanced up in surprise. "Hey man! I didn't expect you to be home for hours. Weren't you metting an informant?" 

"We don't meet in person, Chief. We're in touch by e-mail. She isn't here in Cascade...and she isn't an informant." 

A knowing look crossed Blair's face. "Oh," he responded, a world of subtle meaning hidden in the short sound. 

"Clean up your mind, Sandburg," Jim snapped. "She's not...we're not..." His voice trailed off as Blair started at him in confusion. "Let me start over. My...er, contact is feeding me bits and pieces of a story." 

"Oh, wow! You mean she's filling in details of a case you gave up on? Or giving you info on something that's going down soon? Or...." 

"Hold it, Sandburg. It's not connected with a case or even my job. It's more of a...a...novel." The last word was practically whispered as Jim turned and tossed his keys towards the basket, never noticing in his discomfort that they missed and skidded across the table and onto the floor. 

Glancing in disbelief between the keys on the floor and Jim moving to the couch, Blair hurridly gathered his debris into a pile and moved it aside. The lack of comment on his messiness increased his growing sense of unease. When Jim had something to say he could be quite blunt - obsfucation simply wasn't in his makeup. On the other hand if he didn't want to discuss this he would have told Blair to mind his own business and retreated to his bedroom. Reaching a decision, Blair hoisted himself to sit on the other end of the couch. "You're gonna have to add a few deatils here, Jim. So far I know that you have an e-mail pal..." 

"Seraid," Jim supplied. 

"Seraid?. Hmmm. Nice name." 

"Down boy. Aren't even women in cyberspace safe from you?" 

Blair hastily pushed down the hurt that Jim's remark caused. Obviously the man was upset and part of a guide's duty was to keep his sentinel centered and at his best. He was pleased that when he spoke his voice sounded entirely normal. 

"Funny, Jim. So Seraid is posting portions of a story that you've been following. So? What's got you upset?" 

"I am not upset!" Finally the incongruity of his shouted denial broke throught to Jim and he chuckled. "I'm sorry, Chief. I guess I *am* upset. I was just too embarassed to admit it." 

"Embarassed about what, Jim? Lots of people follow fiction writers on the web. Some of those authors are very talented. What kind of story has you so hooked? Police procedural? Covert ops?" 

Jim suddenly found the view outside the windows to be facinating. He hesitated a few more moments but knew Blair was like a dog worrying a bone and wouldn't rest until he had the whole story. "No, it's, um, it's a story about two people who work together and over time they discover they...care about each other and work towards establishing a more, er, intimate relationship." 

Blair's expression was delighted amazement. "A romance? You're hooked on a romance?" He laughed, then noticed the ice forming in the blue eyes locked with his. "I mean, that's great, Jim! I knew you had a sensitive side." Blair examined his friend's face closely and was relieved to see the tension draining away. "But I still don't know what the problem is." 

Jim sighed. "The last few posts she's seemed, I don't know, depressed, maybe. She's hinted that maybe she'll quit working on it." He sighed again. "This is embarassing, Blair. How could I get so addicted to a story? I even wrote her and tried to bribe her into continuing." 

Blair was valiently trying to contain a severe case of the giggles. "It's okay, Jim. It's not like bribing a cop or a judge. What did she say?" 

"She said that she can be bribed, but only with stories...Blair, you're the writer, *not* me. Would you help me? Write a story I can send her?" 

"Oh hey, man! Stories are my life! I can write up some of the myths of the Amazon basin that are facinating...." 

"Um, hold up a minute there, Chief. Seraid likes there to be, ah, sex in the stories." 

"No problem, Big Guy. Remember I started to tell you about this tribe I was with in Malaysia that thought sex was a religious ritual that had to be performed six times every..." 

Jim held up a silencing hand. "Not exactly what I meant, Sandburg. Her stories have two...I mean the relationship is between... Look just forget I ever mentioned it. I must have been out of my mind." At that, Jim pushed himself off the couch, grabbed a beer and retreated to the balcony. 

Blair sat, puzzling over the pieces he had been given then turned to stare at his friend in open mouthed amazement. He rose from the couch and quietly stood behind the silent figure staring out over the city. 

"Jim? Jim, the two characters in Seraid's story - what are their names?" 

Jim hung his head. Why hadn't he kept his mouth shut? It was *just* a story. Everything had been fine, but no...he had to bring up the one subject that would drive Blair from the loft and his life. 

Blair used the silence to work his way in between Jim and the railing, staring up into the anguished face. 

Refusing to meet the bright blue gaze, Jim whispered, "Jim and Blair." 

He started to spin away before he could see the disgust on the one face that haunted his dreams, but surprisingly strong arms caught and held him. 

"Jim, look at me. Please?" Calling on all his courage, Jim finally met Blair's eyes and gasped at the hope he found there. "Blair?" 

"Shhh. Obviously we've had some mixed signals here. Let's try a more direct communication method." 

The kiss was soft and tentative, more a question than a declaration. A question that Jim answered by gathering the smaller form into his arms. "Please be sure, Blair. I've wanted this...wanted you for so long. I can't just be a fling or an experiment for you." 

Blair's fingers were skimming lightly over Jim's face, following the strong jaw line, brushing across the parted lips. "No fling, Jim. I've been in love with you almost from the start." 

"You *love* me?" JIm asked, unable to cope with having his heart's desire handed to him minutes after he was sure it was lost forever to him. 

"No. I always jump off a cliff for a friend." Seeing Jim's inability to process the last few minutes, Blair regreted the sarcasm."Sorry, man. Yes, I love you. I don't know just when it started but when Lash had me chained to that chair, all I could think of was that you'd be the one to find my body and I couldn't bear that your last memory of me would be looking like his other victims." 

As Blair's voice trailed off, Jim held him tighter, remembering his own horror at seeing the psycho forcing a drug down the helpless man's throat. "That's all behind us now, Blair. ALL that matters is that we finally know how we feel. But where do we go from here?" 

"Upstairs. If I'm going to write a story that will melt Seraid's monitor. I'm going to need *LOTS* of research."   
  


* * *

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